New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-08-23
ARISES ON WARDS ISLAND.
oyERCRoWDING THE ASYLUM FOR THE
INSANE.
REPORT or THE STATE BOARD OF CHARITIES
WHO Is OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES FOR

REFORM.
ALBANY Aug. 22.-The report of Oscar Craig,
John j. Milbsu and Edward W. Foster. the members
of the Committee OF the State Board OF Charities,
which inv est gated the management OF the Wards
Island Insane Asylum made public to-day. The
report is long one, making about eight columns OF
TIE TRIBUNE, but great deal OF 1t is taken up with
extracts from other reports and with discussions
on matters net Immediately connected with the H.
Nestgation.
The committee finds that the system of appropri-
sng money for the Board of Charities and Correcuon
is detective nasmuch as the money Tor the use VI no
board is YproI rated i, lump sum- Tue esuh"'e'
are maze in detail. but the appropriation peins
in lump sum- money intended for the insane "' -:
nav be diverted TO other institutions lhen' no i'em
ized account OF expenditures is puosh ed OF iu
TO the Board OF Estimate whien 10 thus "i'nou'
proper data for its guidance. Deianeu ioPol'' 49,.
Ienditures and itemzed appropriations are reeoH-
ynenied $1,000,
The committee finds that economy is carried 100 "'
In the insane asylum Comparing the daily cost per
eapita tor the last fiscal year II hnds that al Tue
Willard Asylum, with its chronic cases largely sell
supporting, and exclusive OF acute cases ana eA
elusive OF large items paid by the State the county
charge is over 80 cents but at Wards Island, win
lis acute as well chronic patients dependent almost
entirely upon hignprced markets and without large
resources land or labor the total charge In
eludiag salaries of physicians and all items Oh eA
penditufe, is less than 33 cents. The cost al tne
Hudson River State Hospital, where acute cases are
TO the 1ood supply, IL finds that the exam nations oy
the inspector appointed by the Controller are not
checks upon the department, except III so lar as teF
furnish expert knowledge; for ho attends Only nVo
DAYS in the week and arrives late IN the afternoon
,fer the largest deliveries have been made ana taxes
his samples of such deliveries from the hands oil inc
storehouse clerk But win the proofs before INC
committee it failed to fnd on the whole any ae-
Geieucy in the quality OF the food supplied 10 inls
usyiuIn as compared with either the purehase OF inc
or Dad
pence ON the part of the Board OF Charles ana Cor
rection whose business 1t is to furnlsh sucn supplies
The trouble is that the dietary Is lheumeiens III
variety and nutritious qualities, aud the food with
one exception is not properly prepireo ihe Oiesu
good But the cooking other respects is shown TO
be bad in TACT anu made necessarily so oJ the In
adennate appliances IN kitchen INTENDED Tor ooo
inmates and made to pass through It's processes
called cookery food for over ,1OJ patients Oesdes
attendants This condition OF things The committee
denounces shameful.
The unwise economy u the food supply is also
exhibited in the buildings The annex building
mn Wards Island and the branch on hahcaifs
Island are condemned as uninhabitabe. EAcipdlng
the patisns in the outside buildings, the committee
finds that in the main building there are $40 inmates
moi properl provided for; while placing tbem IN the
building leads to discomfort and INJURY 10 'ne otheI
patients with disgusting and dreadful crowdiDg OF
tha althv and violent wards" This ovorcrowdlng Is
moi of recsnt occurrence, but has beeu continued Tor
wears despite the frequent complaints oil tie medical
officers and the State Board OF Charities his
oyercrowdiug found to be 10 part the cause oil the
moor class oil attendants secured and this denounced
"a about the worst defect the asylum. The report
says:
II is not difficult imagine the general condition with
Of them with Iu sulhclent
ar space in and mosi Of Them deprived
TO long cherries and comort.s as arr these ms
cradle masses o n4I 10 as sen workg hours ~ isse
Tepusye places aud IN tne arduoIs duties %. 10 @ emu
Sronmen night compelled to sleep Two Of ihtee ana
dlon violent wards must become more disturbed anu htny
Tss mee eSsn WITH the Se. material
ants hut the worst ehect IS ' i Will sIation repeis
nos Ony best but even ordinarily good meh VINO WOMB
such due eclAto and perhaps NOT e'en uu
apprehension tue depressing aud disturbing ihAuvhes 10
be overcome.
The avocation of many OF the attendants bad been
that of barkeeper The majority oil them were OF
questionable aDteeedents aud Character aud many
OF them decldcdly rough and coarse OF untrust-
worthy il not positively bad Last year eighty at
tendans dismissed tor cause eAciusivo oil those
resigned honoraby discharged, and the chief COIN
plant on which removals were made was intoAicaton'
The general superintendent, DIR. Macdonald, had
little responsibility ter the choice OF attendants being
responsible only Tor their Dismissal The committee
thinks that the attendants should be examined under
the CIyil SevIoe Commission only on nomination by
.he supernteDdent; and IT adds: Tn grevous
evils conuectel with the stan OF attendants III this
ASYLUM are eotly and indirectly 10 the extreme
crowdng OF it's building and undue econony. which
have been Continued systematically aud perslslently
Tor many years.
A IN abu.es by attendan the evidence was con-
fic.ing but the committee cabnOt resist the moral
.,nvction that some OF the charges aIo true On
this point j. says:
The conditions OF extreme orowdng of degradation OF
tie the nrst day OF January 1883 been
attended with the complete ABOLITION OF OF
be successful requires moral RESTRAINTS oi higher
tnuei asylum over worked irritable
ignorant attendants VINO need lhe cons ana
eedent eAperenees nave n, never n Iss,sa ~
are placed OF absolute aud exclusive control Of
except unvened REPORTS TO absent me CaI AUTHORITIES,
sneh attsnaa upon patients OF the
s SoaItsd oy
which ar. Lot WITNESSED Wy any n @ OF lie S.a
authorities FOR the medical officers are As on any one
generally known 10 tho attendAn The IS that
,S out on n T there are
~ TINS asylum nc s rsSs a. iss .ns Of
oher well a. at the hands 81 their sen'AH' The
great abuse calling ior reform on Wards Isaho
The committee condemns the Practice OF treating
the chronic and acute Insane in the same asylum,
ana 1T agrees with Dr. Macdonald that there are many
1nen within the asylum walls now, ihcurabe cases,
who will more generous diet and more generous
provision generally at the accession oil tLe disease,
would have long since gone forth clothed and III their
right minds"
As 10 the responsibility Tor the condition OF tho
asylum the committee hnds IL to be a divided onr
The report says;
to COMMISSIONERS Oi Charities
DC ectly
condition. % lho
Island that The
responsible indirectly
relief. hegiecting
the OF their estimates
were annually uced by the Bo4Iu VI Estimate and Ap
pCtonmoni Omtiipg TO publish Or NJ with the SAID
their annual accounts a. ~ganst
OF OF their unbalanced estimates AID 10
deaylng 20 Board plans aud specifications
special appropriations for buildings anu m
which THIS great charity
accountable LOT these evils
STr,- have MI
of un dnoiont lnsttu
tons tinch and Ol
sibillty between two departments.
The foreign born population Is about t"o-thrds OF
cxvho nj asVl About twO-nlnths of